Tell us a little about yourselves!
We’re Jen and Ford, a queer couple and two creative based in Los Angeles. I’m an author (my book, Greedy, is a memoir about bisexuality) and Ford is an artist/designer.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We googled “LGBTQ+ friendly wedding destinations” and this was one of the first venues that came up. We didn’t expect to find the spot so easily, but sometimes it happens that way!
We booked it sight unseen, then took a vacation to Merida to check it out. While there, we stayed at a magical hotel (Coqui Coqui—one room above a perfume store).
The rest is history!
How many guests did you have?
80! We’d always imagined a gigantic wedding, but budget-wise that just wasn’t in the cards. It ended up being a perfect size—we actually had room to dance.
What was your budget?
We ended up spending almost double what we’d planned—that’s still wild to think about, especially since we paid for most of this ourselves.
When we started planning we didn’t realize we were basically choosing between having a party or buying a house. There were times during the process that I thought we may have made the wrong choice but ultimately I’m so glad we had a party!!! We’ll work our way up to owning property someday, and we’ll still have these memories when we get there.
Tell us about your outfits.
Ford and I both love fashion, so we each worked with emerging designers to create our looks.
For my dress I searched far and wide [on Instagram] and found a designer I really believed in: Miss Claire Sullivan. The day I sent her my down payment, Kylie Jenner did a photoshoot wearing one of her pieces! Over the next year-and-a-half she worked with Troye Sivan, Dua Lipa, Addison Rae, Doechii, and more. It was so cool to work with her during this meteoric rise—and the collab process was so much fun.
I also worked with Melé to design custom pearls, Fior di Latte to design a custom quilted bag, and T Label to design custom gloves that could fit my nails!
Ford worked with James Ford from Netflix’s Net in Fashion on a custom suit, and he loved the process so much that he started taking sewing lessons afterwards!
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
We knew we wanted the event to feel queer! I never realized that most things I don’t like about wedding culture (e.g. signs that say “Mr. & Mrs.” — you get it) are all defaults. If you want to go outside of those approaches, it takes work.
Fortunately we’re both creative directors and absolutely loved getting into the details.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We knew we wanted a drag queen to officiate, and Detox was our dream. We were blown away when she said yes!
Detox and her sister Heather stayed at the venue alongside us and our friends. We’d offered the ability for her to go home after just one night, but she said she wanted to stay the whole four-day weekend to get to know us. We played cards and had the best time, and all of that bonding made it that much more meaningful to have her at the altar on the big day.
Any tips for couples getting married?
Don’t be afraid to make decisions and have a clear vision. If you know what you want, your vendors can help you get there!
Also, remember that this day should be about you, and all of it is malleable — just because something is tradition doesn’t mean it “has to be that way.” Even if that requires a tough conversation with a MIL.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We were blown away by our photographers, the husband and wife duo at Kindred. We made them a ten page mood board which felt like an extremely chaotic choice, but they were actually inspired by it and took our brief to heart. The only problem now is that we have too many incredible pictures. We’ll never get tired of looking at them!
We also loved our florists, Botanica Alfabeta. They were local to Merida but went so above and beyond to elevate our vision, even going so far as to create giant daisies from scratch!
Our caterers, Bravo Catering, absolutely killed it.
David Friedmann, my makeup artist, handled my bridezilla vibes with such grace.
Our venue, Hacienda Sac Chich, was so thoughtful and intentional about everything.
Miss Claire Sullivan, my dress designer, was such a dream to work with. Couldn’t have asked for better creative partners every step of the way!
Photographer: Kindred @kindredweddings | Planning: Angelina Cardenas Events @angelinacardenasevents | Flora: Botanica Alfabeta @botanica.alfabeta | Styling: by the bride @jenerous | Celebrant: Detox @theonlydetox | Ceremony Space: Hacienda Sac Chich @haciendasacchich | Makeup Artist: David Friedmann @DavidFriedmannBeauty | Catering & Beverages:
Bravo Catering @bravocatering.mx | Cake: Glacee @glacee_ | Stationery: Self-designed | DJ: Vosters
@vosters | Wedding & After Party Dress: Miss Claire Sullivan @missclairesullivan | Late Night Look:
Meg Beck @megbeckstudio | Suit: James Ford @jamesdoinginsta | Veil: Miss Claire Sullivan @missclairesullivan | Whip Bouquet: Wiederhoft @wiederhoeft | Engagement Ring: Vintage | Wedding Rings: Vintage | Shoes: Jean Paul Gaultier x Jimmy Choo | Custom Pearls: Melé Sabu @comaluz